Smoke-consuming fireplace



Patented luly 5, i898.

F. E. HuMPHREYs.

(Application led Sept. 11, 1897 SMOKEv CONSUMING FIREPLACE.

(No Model.)

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WMM/mow UNTTED STATES PATENT lnrrczn.

slvloKE-CONSUMING FIREPLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,667, dated July 5, 1898. Application filed September 11, 1897. Serial No. 651,364. (No model.)

To @ZZ wtont it mayconccrnf:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN EMERSON HUMPHREYS, Aa citizen of the United States, residing at Mason City, in the county of Cerro Gordo and State of Iowa, haye invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Smoke- Consuming Fireplaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others vskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to smoke-consu mers;

- andthe object of the invention is to effect a thorough mixture or commingling of the products of combustion and gases with oxygen and to carry the same ina heated condition to the under side of the grate,where they are fed or forced through the grate, thus promoting a thorough and complete combustion of the carbon and gases, all of which are consumed, the nitrogen passing o through the smoke-fine.

While the inventionrrelates to smoke-consumers, it is also in the nature of an improvement upon the construction set forth and illustrated in the patent granted to me March 2, 1897, No. 578,240.

The improved device has for its object to arrest the escaping carbon and gases of combustion and by mixing the same with oxygen in suitable mixing chambers or flues supplied with fresh-air inlets to carry the same to the place of combustionr andv by passing the same upward through the bed of coals to obtain a final and completecombustion. In carrying out the invention one or more mixing-chambers provided with suitable supply and exhaust passages may be employed. As is well known, it is impracticable to passthe smoke and gases back through the Aupper surface of the fireplace and downward therethrough, and it Ahas been difficult heretofore to arrest the escaping gases and carbon and conduct the same to the lower side of the bed of coals, passing thesame again through the-fire as often as maybe Inecessary in order to secure complete and thorough combustion. By the improved construction the said gases and carbon are arrested in their passage through the smoke-flue and conducted into a mixing iiue or chamber, whence they are sucked downward and conducted to the lower side of the grate and again forced upward therethrough, thus securing a full view of theA fuel and intensifying the heat. As a result the burning out of chimneys is prevented and consequent loss of property from defect-ive flues. At the same time the chimney is left comparatively free from soot.

The invention is not alone limited to fireplaces, but, as will appear in the ensuing description, may be applied invarious places which will suggest themselves.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features, details of construction, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings,andincorporated in the claims hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical sectional view of a fireplace and chimney, showing the improved features of construction. Fi g. 2 is a sectional view illustratinga slightly-modified arrangement of the construction shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a similar section through the upper portion of the chimney and cap.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a fireplace, and 2 a smoke-nue leading upward therefrom, a deflector or hood 3 being arranged above the fireplace, so as to deflectv the products of combustion and gases, &c., into the flue. l

4 designates theash-pit, and 5 an air-tight chamber or compartment located in rear of said ash-pit, the ash-pit andthe compartment 5 being'separated from the grate by means of a horizontal partition 6, which is'provided with an opening 7 above the ash-pit for giving access to the latter, the said opening being closed by a suit-able cover. Above the partition 6, is a grate-basket, and arranged between thebars thereof ,are as eries of agitators 9, in theform of grate-bars arranged in two series, thebars of each series being parallel to each other and the series themselves diverging downwardly and being connected at their inner and upper ends to a horizontally-disposed tube lO, provided withperforations l1 and forming what I designate an oxygen-burner. Communicating with the tube l0 is a vertical tube l2, extending down- IOO wardly from the tube 1,0 and provided at its lower end with a curved plate 13, which moves in the are of a circle and bears against a second curved plate 1-1-, secured to the upper end of a pipe 15, leading downwardlythrough the partition (5 and communicating with ablower 1G, arranged in the air-tiglit chamber 5.

The burner and construction thereof, hereinbefore described, are similar to those described in my former patent referred to; but in connection with said burnerI provide novel operating means consisting of a rod 17, connected at its inner end to the plate 13 and extending out through the front wall of the fireplace, where it is equipped with a suitable handle 1S, by reciprocating which the plate 13 may be moved along the upper surface of the plate 14- for bringing the pipe 12 into and out of alinement with the pipe 1.5, thus permitting the draft from the blower 1G to pass directly to the oxygen-burner or regulating the amount of draft thereto or entirely shutting olf the draft, as may be desired.

At one side of the smoke-flue 2 is a freshair diie 19, which leads downward from the top of the chimney to the bottom of the conipartment 5. Arranged in the base of the compartment and also at the lower end of the liuc 19 is a liquid-pan 20, the object being to cause the fresh aii conimingled with the products of combustion and gases to pass Ithrough a solution contained in the pan 20, thereby freeing and precipitating any metallic gases contained in said air-current. The current is induced by the ascending column of hot air from the grate and greatly increased by the blower or fan 1G, which may be revolved by any suitable means. At various intervals the fresh-air ilue 19 is placed in communication with the smoke-flue 2 and fireplace 1 by ports 2l, and arranged over each port is an angular deiiector 22, projecting` into the smoke-liuc, so as to catch and arrest some of the products of combustion and gases and direct the same in the direction indicated by the arrows into the fresh-air ilue, whence they are sucked downwardly by the ascending column of hot air, as above noted, and by the fan 16 carried through the pan 20 and thence forced upwardly through the grate.

Just above the grate l arrange a deilector 23 and pivot the same at its inner edge, as indicated at 21, to an oblique-faced ledge 25, extending forward from the rear wall of the fireplace partially over the fire. B y pivoting the defieetor 23 it may be moved into and out of position for arresting a certain proportion of the products of combustion, gases, and smoke, as may be found necessary. rl`he deflector 23 is operated or raised and lowered by means of a pull-rod 2S, extending through the front of the fireplace, the said rod having at its outer end a handle and being pivotally connected at its inner end to said deflector. Connected to the deflectoris a cable or other flexible device 29, which extends upward and passes over and around a pulley or other suitable guide 30, the said connection 2E) being attached to the upper pair of hinged deflectors 22, which latter are connected in any suitable manner, as by means of a rod, so that when the deilector 28 is raised the dellectors 22 will be lowered for partially closing the ports leading to the fresh-air ilues. lVhen the deiiector 23 is lowered, the dellectors 22 are correspondingly elevated, and it is thus easy to regulate the extent to which the deiiectors project into the space above the grate and thereby increase or diminish the amount of carbon and gases arrested and conducted to the fresh-air ilues and thence back to the oxygen-burner. By this means it will also be apparent that the current of fresh xygen mixed with the carbon and gases is placed under easy control.

At the top of the chimney I place a cap or cowl 2G, slightly largci' than the chimney and having a conical top, as shown. Beneath the conical top is arranged a cylindrical gatherer or concentrator 27, through which the products of combustion and gases pass. After passing through said gatherer -7 they are detlectcd and directed downward through the fresh-air ilue 19,whence they follow the course above pointed out.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the air mixed with smoke is carried in a heated state beneath the grate and forced upward therethrough, thereby intensifying the heat and promoting combustion, the result being that all gases, both carbonio and sulfureted, are entirely consumed, the nitrogen only passing up through the smoke-flue and escaping.

lt may at times be desirable to admit air to the base of the grate without having it irst pass through the lower chamber. To effect this, a modified arrangement (illustrated in Fig. 2) is employed which consists iu establishing direct communication from the freshair iiue to the chamber at the base of the grate, the air passing by way of a short tube 22, located in the rear of the oxygen-burner. Should the natural draft be found insuilicient, any well-known artificial means, suoli as a blower, may be employed, as will be obvious.

It will of course be understood that the smoke and fresh-air flues may bebe arranged in any convenient relation to each other, and any number of communicating ports may be provided between said ilues. lt will also be apparent that the improvements hcreinbefore described are not limited merely to fireplaces, but may with equal advantage be eniployed vin blacksmiths forges and various forms of furnaces. lt will also be apparent that other changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

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I-Iaving thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters above and below the fireplace, and means for controlling the air-supply for the purpose speciiied.

2. In a smoke-consumer, the combination withafireplace and its smoke-flue, of a freshair lue adjoining and communicating with the smoke-Hue at one or more points above and below the fireplace and detlectors arranged in or adjacent to the communicating ports above the fireplace, for the purpose specified.

3. In a smoke-consumer, the combination with a fireplace and smoke-flue, of a freshair flue extending alongside of the smoke-flue and communicating therewith by means of ports arranged at intervals, and angular deflect-ors arranged within and at the upper end of said ports and projecting into the smokeiiue, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a smoke-consumer, the combination `with afireplace and its smoke-flue, of a freshair Hue adjoining vand communicating with the smoke-flue at a point above the fireplace 'by way of'a port, and a deliector pivoted adjacent the port, for the purpose specified.

5. In a smoke-consumer, the combination with a iireplace and smoke-Hue leading therefrom, of a fresh-air iiue at one si'de of the smoke-due and communicating therewith by means of a port, an oblique-faced ledge arranged above said port and projecting over the fireplace, -and a pivoted delector connected to said ledge and made adjustable, substantially as described.

6. In a smoke-consumer, the combination with a fireplace and its smoke-Hue, of an airtight chamber arranged beneath the grate, a blower within the chamber, and a fresh-air flue adjoining and communicating with said smoke flue and chamber7 for the purpose specified.

"7'. In a smoke-consumer, the combination with a fireplace and smoke-hue, of a freshair flue extending alongside of the smoke-flue, a blower communicating with said fresh-air iue, a suitable burner adjacent to the grate and communicating with said blower, abutting pipes leading from the blower and burner and communicating with each other, curved plates secured to the adjacent ends of said pipes, and a rod connected to the pipe of the burner and extending through the front of the fireplace, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a smoke-consumer, the combination alongside of the smoke-liuc and communicatv ingc therewith at intervals, a cap covering both of said iues, and a hollow cylindrical gatherer arranged within said cap and operating, substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

9. In a smoke-consumer, the combination with a fireplace, and a smoke-flue leading therefrom, of a fresh-air flue at one side of the smoke-liuc, a series of pivoted deiectors arranged contiguous to ports placing the smoke and fresh-air iiues in communication, and means for simultaneously operating said deflectors, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have lsigned this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN EMERSON HUMIHREYS.

Witnesses:

MILTON STRASBURGER, REXFORD M. SMITH. 

